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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. court — of a king
  5. club — a group
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cold — an illness
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cell — in biology
  11. court — of law
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cell — a phone
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. court — for sport
  17. can — a tin
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. can — to be able to
  21. club — for golf
  22. game — a match
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com